Sewing welt



April 1962 G. s. HENDRIE 3,028,641

SEWING WELT Filed Jan. 25, 1955 IN V EN TOR.

Geome- 6. Havon/e' BY ATTOIPNE'VS 3,028,541 Patented Apr. NP, 1952 "ice 3,023,641 SEWING WELT George Strathearn Hendrie, (Grosse Pointe, Mich, assignor to Detroit ltda-coid Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed Jan. 25, 1955, Ser. No. 34,054 1. Claim. (Cl. 20--74) This invention relates to a sewing welt especially adapted for employment as a joining medium between separate panels of material. One use for such a sewing welt is to provide an ornamental trim or decorative bead for finishing the interior trim panels of a vehicle body.

Trim panels are used in various decorating schemes, as well as for finishing the interiors of vehicle bodies. One welt which may be employed for joining and decorating these panels is that shown in copending patent application, Serial No. 199,322, filed December 5, 1950, now Patent Number 2,750,710. Said welt comprises a transparent or translucent body portion formed with a slot or recess therein for receiving a decorative metal trim strip. Edge areas of the body portion are adapted to be positioned between edge portions of two upholsterypanels, whereby the panels may be scoured to each other and to the welt by sewing the two panels and welt together in a single operation. The described welt is advantageous in that it provides a tarnish-proof cover for the metal trim strip, and it can be secured to each of the panels in a single operation.

Unfortunately the above-described welt has two disadvantages which limit its usefulness. One disadvantage arises by reason of the fact that portions of the Welt between the panels are by design of the welt unavoidably bulky. As a result the subsurface on which the panels are positioned must be recessed to receive the welt. Otherwise the panels will be given an irregular, somewhat bumpy and unattractive contour.

Another disadvantage of the above-described welt arises because the welt is relatively thick and, therefore, to a certain extent inflexible. It is desirable in some instances to bend the welt around a curved line but with the above-described welt this is sometimes diflicult.

One object of the present invention is to provide a welt and trim panel assembly wherein the welt may include a visible decorative trim strip protected from dirt and/ or corrosive forces, and wherein the welt is provided with a relatively thin flange portion whereby the panels can be positioned on a regular and unrecessed subsurface without being given a bumpy or irregular contour Another object of the present invention is to provide a welt which can be secured between two panels and which can be easily bent or turned around curved lines.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claim, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of welt employed in the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a view taken in the direction of arrow 7 2 in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional view showing the welt of FIGURE I joined between two panels.

FIGURE 4 is a cross sectional view of the welt and panels positioned in place one. subsurface.

Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

Referring to the drawings the illustrated embodiment will be seen to comprise a welt 1 preferably formed out or" transparent or translucent plastic. Welt 1 includes a hollow body portion 2 and a thin flange portion 3. Within the opening 4 of the body portion is a strip of colored decorative material 5. Material 5 preferably takes the form of a woven cord, at least some of whose threads are metallic. Due to the covering action provided by body portion 2, material 5 is protected from dirt and/ or corrosive forces, while due to the light-transmitting nature of body portion 2, material 5 is visible so as to provide the desired decorative effect.

Welt 1 is preferably secured between two decorative panels 6 and 7 by positioning the panels as shown in FIG. 3 and stitching the welt and panels togther along the line 8. After the stitching is completed, panel 6 is turned or folded back as shown in FIG. 4, after which the unit comprised of panel 6, welt 1 and panel 7 is secured on a subsurface 9 by stitching or other suitable means (not shown). Subsurface 9 may consist of padding or other more rigid material depending on the type of article or mechanism which it is desired to cover. In any event, subsurface 9 may be a continuous, uninterrupted surface which need not be recessed for accommodation of the welt.

It will be noted that flange 3 is relatively thin whereby to give panel 6 a regular and even contour in the areas overlying said flange. The thinness of flange 3 also permits the welt to be bent around curved lines and without undue buckling or humping of the flange.

I claim:

A trim panel unit comprising a first fiat panel having an edge portion in planar alignment with its central portion; a welt including a flexible, tubular, light-transmitting body portion completely closed therearound, and a single flange extending from said body portion over and along said edge portion of the panel; said flange being of a thickness substantially corresponding to the panel thickness to form a panel-flange assembly of relatively small thickness; decorative core material entirely within the welt body portion and visible therethrough; a second flat panel extending from the welt in a direction away from the first panel and substantially parallel thereto; said second panel having an edge portion turned under through a distance of about one hundred eighty degrees and engaged with the upper face of the welt flange; and stitching extending through the edge portion of the first panel, welt flange, and second panel edge portion, but not through the exposed portion of the second panel so as to secure the two panels and welt together without visible stitch marks.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,043,700 Hamm June 9, 1936 2,345,273 Macklanburg Mar. 28, 1944 2,416,798 Ferguson Mar. 4, 1947 2,602,203 Whitaker July 8, 1952 2,659,421 Wass et a1. Nov. 17, 1953 2,671,041 Dodge Mar. 2, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 217,822 Great Britain June 26, 1924 

